Happy New Year! Today I'd like to share with you an improvised meditation on Auld Lang Syne which is a traditional tune for New Year's Eve. It was included in last Sunday's tutorial Learn with Vidas where I taught all the steps to do this. This tune is created in Major Pentatonic Mode in F Major so my improvisation also consists of those pitches only (F, G, A, C and D). They give a very peaceful feeling. Let's hope for more peaceful 2025! Today's sample set - Sweelinq Lutheran Church, the Hague. Hope you will enjoy it!

Check out the score of my meditation on Auld Lang Syne which I created last year: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/meditation-on-auld-lang-syne-op-209-organ-solo-by-vidas-pinkevicius-digital-sheet-music/22413273?aff_id=454957

You can support this channel by becoming a member here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQqtg/join

If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo

PayPal: https://PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius

We support Ukraine: https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en

My Hauptwerk setup: https://www.organduo.lt/tools.html

Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: https://www.organduo.lt/total-organist

Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! https://organduo.lt

​Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-

Vidas: Hello and welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast!

Ausra: This is a show dedicated to helping you become a better organist.

V: We’re your hosts Vidas Pinkevicius...

A: ...and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene.

V: We have over 25 years of experience of playing the organ

A: ...and we’ve been teaching thousands of organists online from 89 countries since 2011.

V: So now let’s jump in and get started with the podcast for today.

A: We hope you’ll enjoy it!

V:  Hi guys!  This is Vidas.

A:  And Ausra.

V:  Let’s start episode 711 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Spencer, and he writes:

Hello Sir,  Please do you have materials and videos on creating last stanza reharmonization for organ accompanying a choir singing unison with or without descant?

V: This is a very specific question, right, Ausra?

A: Yes, it’s very specific.

V: And it happens a lot when organists play hymns in churches, they want to sound more creative, especially during the last verse or stanza when choir is singing without harmony, just one part, and organist is free to experiment with other colorful harmonies.

A: Yes, and you know, when reading this question, I just thought about in general, my education, my organ background. And I realized that the more I made, the more sort of pointless for me seems my education that I used to have.

V: What do you mean?

A: Well (laughs) let’s see.  I spent four years at the Academy of Music in Lithuania doing undergrad studies in organ performance, then I got my master’s where I studied for three years in the Lithuania Academy of Music, then I got another master’s in the United States studying at Eastern Michigan University, and finally I finished up and got my doctoral at Nebraska, Lincoln.  And actually in all those years, nobody never have taught me how to reharmonize hymns in general.  So what that education was for, I don’t know.

V: Even in America?

A: Yes.

V: That’s interesting.

A: So that’s 11 years of academic studies.

V: But what about in Lithuania? We all had, let’s say, like a liturgical practice, right, in churches.  And our instructors
taught us how to play hymns or liturgical responses on the organ.

A: They have never taught us how to play hymns.  Only responses that we need, like for Catholic mass.

V: Uh huh - not the hymns.

A: Not the hymns.

V: Right, right.  So when you get this question, what do you have to do?  If you want to be creative, right - if you don’t want to stick to the harmony from the hymnal. Of course, there are plenty of already pre-composed last verses, right?  And we can link some of the most popular ones in the, our podcast transcript.  But playing other people’s music is not always the best choice, right, if you can improvise your own harmonization.

A: Yes. Or you could just do how the pop singers do, you just play the last stanza higher without any prepared modulations, just go up and that’s it.

V: Oh, they switch.  I think they switch by a whole step.

A: Yes, usually that what we…

V: But then, probably a more artful way to prepare it would be to play an interlude, right, modulated interlude of, let’s say, eight measures.

A: Well, be careful.  Bach almost lost his position while playing interludes between hymn stanzas.

V: That’s right. In Arnstadt, when he returned from his four month trip to Lubeck in 1705-1706 during Christmastime, he visited Buxtehude -this famous story, on foot about 450 kilometers - and was late for Christmas.  Of course, he arranged a substitute, but still his congregation wasn’t happy.  His employers were not happy.  And what happened, Ausra? How his playing changed?

A: Well, he started improvising crazy interludes between hymn stanzas.

V: Between even phrases.

A: Yes, between phrases.  And the congregation did not know when to sing and when to stop, and when to enter again. He had to still have some of his examples left, and study them, how to…

V: Should we do it today, too in our little…?

A: Well, I don’t know.  After the opening of Notre Dame Cathedral, I don’t know what is good and what is wrong, because you never can please everybody. If one side will be happy than another won’t be.  Just, play how you feel and what pleases you.

​V: Yes, talking about Notre Dame, I published my video response to the greetings, but I just briefly mention, basically, probably the best way to address this, and it now ties in to our conversation is, you have to establish a tradition, certain way of playing, and keep at it.  And your congregation will be used to it.  It will get used ot it over time.  Just like in Notre Dame, at Notre Dame Cathedral, Pierre Cochereau established this tradition in the long decades when he was titular organist, and especially in 1970s when this modernistic improvisation style was being explored, and it was culmination at Cochereau’s time.  And today of course, in many Parisian churches, this tradition continues, not only at Notre Dame.  So just a good example of this.

A: Yes, and you know, when reharmonizing the hymn, you need to think what works at your church, what kind of tradition is your congregation conservative or not? What kind of…

V: Talking a little bit more specific, what can you do?  There are some ways to do it.  Let’s say everybody is singing the soprano melody, the hymn tune, and now you are free to add another type of harmony. What happens in your head now? It is important, right?  You can create a new bass line, and then you will have new chords this way, right? Because the bass lines dictates new harmonies.  That’s how Bach, by the way, created his Orgelbuchlein chorales.  First he had the tune and then later he added the pedal line, and only then alto and tenor in his manuscript.  So, yeah, bass line is crucial for harmony.  You can write it down or you can memorize it.  You can expand it later by adding inner voices.  What about harmonies?  Can you use more advanced harmonies, Ausra, and what kind of harmonies would you suggest?

A: Again, it depends on what kind of congregation do you have.

V: Let’s say you have a small congregation in a medium sized town.

A: That still doesn’t offer much information.

V: Okay. Imagine a situation: you are a guest organist in Christmas service in some church here in Vilnius. Of course, you can play the hymns as written, but if you want to be more colorful during the last stanza, what will you do?

A: Well, if it’s Christmastime and it’s festive service, I would probably add the trumpet or tuba for last stanza.

V: Tuba meaning the descant line.

A: Yes.

V: So you could keep the same harmony but rearrange the parts so that the right hand would be free.  Or it could be the left hand, actually, but playing one octave higher.

A: Harmony.

V: Okay, let’s talk a little bit about how to do it, because this is probably the easiest way. You don’t reinvent the harmony, you just supply a descant, which means you play the pedal line, bass line with the pedals, and top three voices with the left hand. And this is a little bit challenging, because in the hymnals, it’s written two voices on each staff, right? In chorale specification. So what, how would you reverse the parts, Ausra?

A: Well, you need to look at the score actually.  But whatever you do, you need to play chords with your left hand in closed position.

V: Closed position…

A: That’s the most important I think.  That’s the crucial thing.

V: And to remind our listeners, closed position is a way to play the chords when the intervals between the three upper voices are no more than perfect 4th, correct? So, in C Major chord let’s say, would be starting from the bass: C, G, C, E, I’d say, right?  And we have three upper voices G, C, and E, and between G and C it’s a perfect 4th, between C and E it’s a major 3rd, and we’re still in…

A: Closed position.

V: Closed position, yeah.

A: Because if you would use wider intervals you could not play.  So it just takes some time to practice.  Another possibility if you have less conservative congregation and if you like jazz, add some jazz harmonies too.

V: Going back just one step to that previous question, rearranging the voices, I think one very useful bit of information is exchanging alto with tenors.  Alto could become tenor, and tenor could become alto. One octave lower or higher, no?

A: Yes, because it’s like a math - if you add 2+2 it equals 4.  And there’s no other way you can do it.  So…

V: It’s confusing. Let’s say 2+3, right?

A: Anyway.

V:  2+3=5, but 3+2 is also 5.

A: Yes, and 4+1 is also 5, so.  But still, these are the same numbers, so you have the same notes in the chord.

V: The same…

A:  You just rearrange them.

V: So the final question is how to create this descant with the right hand, to be played on the trumpet or tuba, or even cornet stop with the right hand.  I think this could be also rearranged like a nice melody, but using different chordal notes of the same harmony.  It shouldn’t double the soprano line of the hymn, right?  It shouldn’t double the tune itself.  It has to have some separate culmination up and down.  It has to have a little bit separate rhythms as well.  So if let’s say the hymn tune moves in quarter notes, the descant could introduce some eighth notes or even smaller note values, right, Ausra?

A: Yes, true.  Because it’s a solo melody with a shorter…

V: I think I could do a tutorial of how to do this on one of the episodes of Learn with Vidas.  So stay tuned for that in the future.  And in the meantime, send us more of your questions.  We love helping you grow.  And remember, when you practice,

A: Miracles happen.

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Welcome to Learn with Vidas series! Since we're at the end of the 2024, today I'd like to teach you how to improvise a meditation on Auld Lang Syne which is a traditional tune for New Year's Eve. Don't forget to send me your requests of what you would like to learn next. Hope you will enjoy it!

Today's sample set - Sweelinq Lutheran Church, the Hague

You can support this channel by becoming a member here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQqtg/join

If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo

PayPal: https://PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius

We support Ukraine: https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en

My Hauptwerk setup: https://www.organduo.lt/tools.html

Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: https://www.organduo.lt/total-organist

Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! https://organduo.lt

​Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-

Today I'd like to share with you my rendition of this joyful Postlude on "Gloria" by Jason D. Payne from Yuletide Joy collection, edited by Carson Cooman and published by Lorenz. I played it live during my recent On the Bench with Vidas livestream using Sweelinq's sample set of Maarschalkenweerd organ, Augustijnenkerk, Dordrecht. Hope you will enjoy it!

Score: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/product/yuletide-joy-21937849.html?aff_id=454957

You can support this channel by becoming a member here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQqtg/join

If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo

PayPal: https://PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius

We support Ukraine: https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en

My Hauptwerk setup: https://www.organduo.lt/tools.html

Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: https://www.organduo.lt/total-organist

Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! https://organduo.lt

​Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-

Just before I got sick with Covid at the end of December 2023, I composed and submitted a piece to Palm Beach AGO Organ Composition contest. It didn't win any prizes but I'm happy I participated because now I have a new piece which I think you'll enjoy. This Tuba Tune features beloved Christmas carol Hark! the Herald Angels Sing (MENDELSSOHN) presented in the key of G major. The composition is unified by a compelling ritornello to be played by Tuba, some other loud reed or Cornet. This piece will be very effective as a liturgical or recital piece during Christmas season. I recorded it using Hauptwerk Alessandria sample set.

Score: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/product/tuba-tune-on-hark-the-herald-angels-sing-op-9-organ-solo-by-ausra-motuzaite-pinkeviciene-22658920.html?aff_id=454957

We support Ukraine: https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en

If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo

PayPal: https://PayPal.Me/ausramotuzaite

My Hauptwerk setup: https://www.organduo.lt/tools.html

Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: https://www.organduo.lt/total-organist

Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! https://organduo.lt

​Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2pXxZgiFPMKiqBRYi9rSLT?si=Xe1nTroTSmOGPtv8bP8MSw

Today I'd like to share with you my rendition of Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson. I'm playing it from Thomas Trotter organ arrangement. This fun piece was recorded at the end of the live "Christmas with Unda Maris" recital at Vilnius University St. John's church on December 21, 2024. Thanks to Ausra for changing registration for me! Hope you will enjoy it!

Score: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/product/sleigh-ride-22024774.html?aff_id=454957

You can support this channel by becoming a member here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQqtg/join

If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo

PayPal: https://PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius

We support Ukraine: https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en

My Hauptwerk setup: https://www.organduo.lt/tools.html

Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: https://www.organduo.lt/total-organist

Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! https://organduo.lt

Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg​

Merry Christmas! Today I'd like to share with you my rendition of the classic Offertoire sur deux Noëls, Op. 19 No. 2 by the great French Romantic composer and organist Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911). I recorded it on the great organ at Vilnius University St. John's church. Hope you will enjoy it!

Score: https://secrets-of-organ-playing.myshopify.com/products/alexandre-guilmant-offertoire-sur-deux-noel-op-19-no-2-with-complete-fingering-and-pedaling?_pos=1&_sid=832e8b2ea&_ss=r

You can support this channel by becoming a member here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQqtg/join

If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo

PayPal: https://PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius

We support Ukraine: https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en

My Hauptwerk setup: https://www.organduo.lt/tools.html

Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: https://www.organduo.lt/total-organist

Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! https://organduo.lt

Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg​

Merry Christmas! Today I'd like to share with you my improvisation of Joy to the World Suite. It consists of 4 movements - Processional, Offertory, Communion and Toccata. I improvised it during my recent tutorial from Learn with Vidas series where I taught the details of improvising the suite on this famous Christmas carol. Hope you will enjoy it!

00:00 I. Processional
02:24 II. Offertory
05:23 III. Communion
08: IV. Toccata

You can watch the entire tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/live/IS4gGk_ZtFs

Today's sample set - Sweelinq Goch.

You can support this channel by becoming a member here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQqtg/join

If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo

PayPal: https://PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius

We support Ukraine: https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en

My Hauptwerk setup: https://www.organduo.lt/tools.html

Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: https://www.organduo.lt/total-organist

Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! https://organduo.lt

​Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg

Merry Christmas! Today I'd like to share with you the video from Vilnius University organ studio "Unda Maris" Christmas recital which we all played last Saturday. It was fun to make music together and to see all the results of the hard work the students did this semester! On the program - music by Renaud, Dubois, Gade, Bach, Guilmant, Zipoli, Zachow, Mendelssohn, Twist and Leroy Anderson. Feel free to leave a word of encouragement for our students for the next semester in the comments. Participants: Vytautas Jonkus, Benas Matuzevičius, Regina Dainytė, Karolina Indrulytė, Valeriia Kyslenko, Vidas Pinkevičius and Aušra Motūzaitė-Pinkevičienė. Thumbnail photo credit - Ignas Jonkus. Hope you will enjoy the video!

“CHRISTMAS WITH UNDA MARIS”

PROGRAM

00:00 Albert Renaud (1855-1924) - Toccata in D Minor, Op. 108 (Aušra Motūzaitė-Pinkevičienė)
05:27 Théodor Dubois (1837-1924) - Petite Pastorale Champenoise (Valeriia Kyslenko)
10:31 Niels Wilhelm Gade (1817-1890) - “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern” (Aušra Motūzaitė-Pinkevičienė)
14:16 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) - Trio sonata No. 1 in Eb Major, BWV 525: [Allegro moderato]-Adagio-Allegro (Benas Matuzevičius)
Score with fingering and pedaling: https://secrets-of-organ-playing.myshopify.com/products/trio-sonata-in-eb-major-bwv-525-by-bach?_pos=1&_sid=03e937858&_ss=r
28:28 Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911) - Grand Chœur alla Händel in D Major, Op. 18 (Vidas Pinkevičius)
38:38 Domenico Zipoli (1688-1726) - Pastorale (Regina Dainytė)
Score with fingering: https://secrets-of-organ-playing.myshopify.com/products/pastorale-by-domenico-zipoli-with-fingering?_pos=2&_sid=fa594387e&_ss=r
43:38 Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow (1663-1712) - Partita “Nun komm der heiden Heiland” LV 50 (Vytautas Jonkus)
47:33 Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) - II. Andante tranquillo from Organ Sonata No. 3 Op. 65 (Karolina Indrulytė)
52:32 Graham Twist (b.1958) - Pastorale (Aušra Motūzaitė-Pinkevičienė)
Score: contact the composer at [email protected] or on Facebook
56:27 Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) - “Sleigh Ride”, trans. by Thomas Trotter (Vidas Pinkevičius)
Score: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/product/sleigh-ride-22024774.html?aff_id=454957

We support Ukraine: https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en

If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo

PayPal: https://PayPal.Me/ausramotuzaite

My Hauptwerk setup: https://www.organduo.lt/tools.html

Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: https://www.organduo.lt/total-organist

Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! https://organduo.lt

Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2pXxZgiFPMKiqBRYi9rSLT?si=Xe1nTroTSmOGPtv8bP8MSw

Welcome to Learn with Vidas series! Today I'd like to teach you how to improvise a suite based on the Christmas carol" Joy to the World". This suite will consist of 4 movements - Processional, Offertory, Communion and Toccata. Don't forget to send me your requests of what you would like to learn next. Hope you will enjoy it!

Today's sample set - Sweelinq Goch.

You can support this channel by becoming a member here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQqtg/join

If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo

PayPal: https://PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius

We support Ukraine: https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en

My Hauptwerk setup: https://www.organduo.lt/tools.html

Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: https://www.organduo.lt/total-organist

Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! https://organduo.lt

​Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg